Ink fountain divider



July 11, 1950 s. A. LERCH INK FOUNTAIN DIVIDER Filed May 2, 1949 FIG.

INVENTORA STEPHEN A. LERCH BY I W w. W

A TTORNE Y.

Patented July 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INK FOUNTAIN DIVIDER Stephen A. Lerch, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application May 2, 1949, Serial No. 90,960

6 Claims. (01. 101210) This invention relates to improvements in ink fountain dividers of the type used to keep ink of different colors separated in the fountain.

Such dividers have heretofore been designed only to prevent ink of different colors from running together when in the fountain. They did not prevent ink of different colors from running together after it had been deposited on the fountain roller and while being transferred thereby.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an ink fountain divider which not only prevents ink of different colors from running together in the fountain but also treats the fountain roller so that such ink deposited thereon will not run together during transfer.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ink divider which automatically adjusts the fountain roller engaging portion thereof with respect to the contour of the fountain roller during rotation thereof and during adjustment of the fountain blade.

These objects are obtained by providing the divider with a reservoir for ink separating fluid and connecting such reservoir with the fountain roller engaging pad. A needle valve may control the flow of fluid to the pad so that it is kept in a state of saturation sufficient to deposit a light film of such fluid on the fountain roller. The film so deposited will prevent the ink from running together on the fountain roll while it is being transferred.

A spring-biased plate carried by the divider resiliently urges the lower end of the fountain roller engaging pad into constant contact with the surface of such roller. Thus such pad will remain in proper contact with the face of the roller as such face and divider move relatively toward and away from each other during rotation of an uncentered roller or adjustment of the fountain blade.

The novel features, which are considered characteristic of the invention, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view-in side elevation of a divider embodying the present invention with the fountain and fountain roller shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side I elevation of the ink divider of Fig. 1 with parts broken away and shown in section for the sake of clarity and illustration; and

Fig. 3 is a viewin end elevation taken on line' 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, the divider I6 is releasably mounted in an ink fountain In of well-known design associated with a fountain roller [2 and having an adjustable fountain blade l4. The edge of fountain blade I4 is adjusted with respect to the roller by means well known in this art and therefore not shown or described herein. The ink divider 5,,

as is shown in Fig. 1, is mounted on fountain blade I with its bottom resting thereon and with its forward end in engagement with the fountain roller l2. As is the usual practice, a pad H on and considered a part of the divider makes the actual sealing contact with the surfaces of roller I2 and blade I4. Pad l1 preferably consists of a strip of felt extending as an integral unit along the roller engaging face of the divider.

In the embodiment illustrated, divider I6 is an aluminum casting which has side walls l8, the

front edges of which are curved to conform with the periphery of fountain roller [2. between the side walls is a front wall 20, the forward face of which is spaced rearwardly from the forward edges of such walls to provide a pad receiving and holding recess. Front wall 20 merges with a bottom 22 also extending between side 1 walls 18. The lower surface of bottom 22 is spaced upwardly from the bottom edge of side walls Hi to provide a pad receiving and holding Side walls l8 and bottom 22 are joined recess. to terminate in a hook-like mounting arm 26 which carries a wing bolt 21. A mounting arm rearwardly upwardly sloping bottom 22 cooperate to define an open top reservoir for ink sepa-.

rating fluid.

Bottom 22 is provided with an undercut recess 28 which extends to the front face of front wall Extending juncture: on pad t7.

a 3 20. This recess provides space for the pad plate operating spring as well as forming part of a channel for connecting reservoir 24 with pad l1. Longitudinally extending grooves 30 are formed in the opposite inner faces of side walls l8 below bottom 22. These grooves provide a track for slidably guiding a pad plate 32, the forward edge of which engages with pad I? at the juncture of its roller engaging portion and its fountain blade engaging portion. The forward end of pad-engaging plate 32 may be turned down as shown in Fig. 2 and provided on the upper surface thereof with grooves 33. Ink separating fluid passing through channel 28 runs along the upper surface of plate 32: and grooves 33' enable such fluidl to more readily reach pad I! and be absorbed thereby. In order that the pad engaging plate 32 may also maintain a constant pressure be-' tween roller l2 and such juncture of pad- H, such plate is resiliently urged outwardly of divider It by a coil compression spring 34 reacting betweenthe rear end of recess 28 and a. place on plate 32 intermediate its ends.

To control the communication or channelbe! tween reservoir 24 andiichannel 28, bottom 22 is provided with a tapped opening 36 in which is threadedly mounted an adjustable nipple valve 38 of; standard. construction; Nipple valve 38- has an. inlet- 40 communicating with reservoir 24- and an outlet 42 opening intochannel 28. By rotation of a knurled handle 4.0, the channel from the reservoir to the padmay be completely closed: or opened to the desired amount. For keeping the contents of. the reservoir free from dirt or other undesirable material, a cover 46 has sides which overlappingly engage the. side walls l8 to hold the cover in place on divider it. end, of the cover is slotted, as. indicatedat 43,. to accommodate theshaft of the needle valve:

initiall mounting divider H in fountain blade M: the roller engaging portion. of pad I1: compressed: so that it is seatedwithin the pad recess on the forward; face of the divider.- Wing nut 21 is-then clamped to keep the divider inthis position, such clamping action also com-- pressing the fountain bladeengaging portion of the pad ll into the: pad recess onthe bottom of the divider. At the same time plate 32 ismovedinwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 and spring'34 compressed and placed under tension. This tends to change the contact pressure at. the Also; asfountain blade M is adjusted so that its forward edge is properly positioned relative to fountain roller l2, there will. be a change in the contact pressure on such juncture. However, such changes are offset and; a proper. constant: pressure maintained: by' thecontinuous pressure asserted by compressed; spring 34 acting through sliding plate 32-. An ink separating fluid, such as paraifln oil. or a mixture of para-flirt oil and type wash, is put in reser-- voir-r 28 and needle valve 38- opened. to permit The forwardv such fluid toflow from: reservoir 24 through channel. 28, to pad 11. This fluid is absorbed by the pad andwhen the lower area of. its roller" engaging portion is saturated; athin film like strip of such fiu-id will be deposited on roller l2'- as it rotates. Such strip will continuously extend aroundthe roller to the top of pad l7? during the. rotation of. roller" 12. Some of the: fluid such strip will. he transferred from the fountain roller to the doctor roller- However, that amount of fluid in the strip which is not transferred tothe doctor roller, evaporated: or otherwise lost again. be'picked up by pad- Hence, after:

the roller engaging portion of pad I? is entirely saturated, it is only necessary to replace the lost portion of the fluid. This is accomplished by regulation of valve 38. The film-like strip of ink separating fluid so deposited on roller I 2 keeps inks of different colors also deposited on the roller from running together. Such effect may also be present to some degree as the ink and film-like strip are transferred in the printing process to other rollers.

When the divider is not in use, it may be readily removed from the ink fountain and cleaned. The pad plate 32 readily slides forwardly out of grooves 30 carrying with it spring 34, thus exposing channel 28 and outlet 42 for ready and easy cleaning.

Although only one embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it will be understood that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spirit of the invention or scope of the following, claims.

Iclaim:

1 anink fountain divider for applying a film of ink separating liquid on the fountain roller; a; fountain roller engaging absorbentpad carried-by said divider and" separated from a reservoir said divider, a: reservoir within said divider containing ink separating fluid, and a channek between the lower end of said. reservoir and said pad whereby said fluid is continuously ap-' plied to'sa'id; end oil said.- pad and deposited: there-" 3. In an ink fountain divider having a front Wall and a bottom, a reservoir for ink separating fluid in: said divider, a; roller engaging pad adjac'ent said front: wail and bottom, a spring-biased plate slidably carried by said divider below said: bottom and having an edge facing and continu ously urging said pad toward said roller, and a channel: from: said reservoir to the. top of saidplate whereby ink separating fluid in said reservein is conducted. to said pad along said plate- 4. An inkt fountain divider as claimed in claim 3 in which the pad engaging end of said plate: is provided with grooves for guiding ink separatingfl'uidato said pad;

51m: an ink fountain divider having spaced; side' walls, a. front wall between. said side: walls, a bottom-l between said. side: walls and spaced above thelower edges thereof, said walls and bot-- tom defining a reservoir" for ink separating fluid,

oppositely related grooves" in said side walls be law said bottom, a recess in the outer side of'sai'd' bottom extending to the outer surface of said front. wall; a: pad engaging plate slidably mounted in said grooves, a compression spring having I 5 6 side walls, a front wall between said side walls, REFERENCES CITED a bottom between said side walls and spaced above the lower edges thereof, said walls and botg ifi g gg i fg are of record in the tom defining a reservoir for ink separating fluid, a recess in the outer side of said bottom extending 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS to the outer surface of said front wall, a con- Number Name Date trolled opening between said reservoir and said 1,699,389 Betzinger Jan. 15, 1929 recess, and a fountain roller and fountain blade 2,301,535 Green Nov. 10, 1942 engaging pad extending along said front wall 2,431,900 Worthington Dec. 2, 1947 and said bottom and receiving said fluid from 10 2,442,700 Luehrs June 1, 1948 said recess.

STEPHEN A. LERCII-I. 

